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🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia /Economy & Trade

Properties Linked to Iran’s Supreme Leader Put Up for Sale in London

From Asharq Al-Awsat · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

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  • Two London penthouses associated with Iranian banker Ali Ansari and linked by US authorities to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei have been put up for sale after mortgage defaults.
  • Ansari bought the properties for a combined £36 million, and private lenders appointed receivers to recover the outstanding debt.
  • The sales follow US and British sanctions against Ansari, who denies accusations that he manages assets for Khamenei and other Iranian elites.

Two luxury apartments linked to Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei have gone on the market in London after the Iranian banker believed to act as his financial frontman defaulted on the mortgages, The Sunday Times reported.

The penthouses sit at 3a Palace Green, an exclusive development overlooking Kensington Palace and near the official residence of the Prince and Princess of Wales. Ali Ansari bought them in 2014 and 2016 for a combined £36 million. Private lenders have appointed receivers to recover what they are owed.

One property is a five-bedroom duplex across the sixth and seventh floors. It was bought for £19 million in 2016 and is now being offered for just under £12 million. The second penthouse occupies the seventh and eighth floors and entered receivership after being purchased for £16.75 million in 2014.

key financier

· US TreasuryThe Treasury used the phrase when sanctioning Iranian banker Ali Ansari.

Ansari, 57, was sanctioned by the US Treasury in July as Khamenei’s “key financier.” The Treasury said Ansari “oversees a sprawling global network of assets benefiting Iran’s leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, and other regime elites.” It accused him of using shell companies and bank accounts across several jurisdictions to build a real estate and commercial portfolio for Khamenei, his family, other Iranian elites and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Ansari denies the accusations.

Britain sanctioned Ansari in October 2025, imposing an asset freeze, travel ban and director disqualification over allegations that he financially supported IRGC activities. The measures followed the dissolution of Ayandeh, the private Iranian bank established by Ansari’s family. Iran’s central bank cited longstanding debts and regulatory problems, while state-owned Melli Bank absorbed its assets. Any proceeds remaining after the London lenders are repaid are expected to remain frozen while Ansari is under sanctions.

oversees a sprawling global network of assets benefiting Iran’s leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, and other regime elites.

· US TreasuryThe Treasury described the network it alleges Ansari managed.
About this summary

Originally published by Asharq Al-Awsat in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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